Tech Talk: Android takes off in 2014

Android news dominated this Mobile World Congress 2014, held last month in Barcelona.

Mobile World Congress, the mobile industry’s annual gathering, gives phone and tablet manufacturers a chance to show off new products and demonstrate hot features.

Android is looking to ride a hot 2013 into the new year. Last year, the operating system powered top releases such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Nexus 4. It also made waves on tablet as the driver of the Nexus 7 and 10, as well as made inroads as a laptop and micro PC operating system.

This year, Samsung, Sony and Nokia will give Android fans even more options, with each announcing new smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy S5

Samsung’s Galaxy S4 was a tremendous success, selling faster than any Samsung smartphone in the company’s history.

The S5’s plastic body looks much like the S4, but it packs in new features and specs to keep it current with the competition.

Along with a 2.5 GHz quad-core processor, the S5 has a 16 megapixel camera and a fingerprint scanner. Samsung says it will make the fingerprint scanner accessible to developers so apps can take advantage of the technology.

The S5 also is water-resistant, like the S4 Active, and dustproof. These features will appeal to active users who use their smartphone in non-pedestrian situations.

The Galaxy S5 will go on sale April 11. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but it should be affordable with a carrier contract.

Sony Xperia Z2

Sony also announced a feature-rich Android smartphone, the Xperia Z2.

The Z2 features a 5.2-inch, 1080p display and a quad-core processor, but the camera, which Sony says is the “world’s best,” is where the phone steps up. The Z2’s 20.7 megapixel sensor shoots well in low light and is capable of recording 4K video. This is a niche feature for now, but still nice to have.

The Z2 is also water-resistant and has noise-canceling technology built into the phone, so you can enjoy the feature with any headphones.

Solid release information isn’t available for the Xperia Z2, but it’s expected to launch before summer.

Nokia X, X+, XL

For the first time, Nokia will launch a line of smartphones powered by Android.

There are some (rather big) catches, though: The phones, while technically running Android, will use Microsoft’s cloud services instead of Google’s and won’t connect to the Google Play store. Users can sideload Android APKs, but it’s not guaranteed that all will work without modification.

The X and X+ feature 4-inch screens, while the XL has a 5-inch display. All three have dual-core processors, rear-facing camera and support expandable storage through microSD. The XL also has a front-facing camera for video chat.

The X line’s conservative specs do come with a lower price. The X will start around $120 without contract. Unfortunately, the line doesn’t appear destined for the United States; Nokia is aiming it at emerging countries, (probably correctly) thinking American users will stick with power phones from the competition.

If the Android-but-not-really strategy pays off, Nokia could bring a similar line here to entice users who need a starter phone or quick replacement. With T-Mobile attempting to strike death into contracts, perhaps we’ll see a company like Nokia strike it big offering low-cost, no contract devices.

This is the opinion of Times Digital Products Specialist Andrew Fraser.